The experiment aims to see if you can take a regular Sunday League side (in this case Ivory Fc from the Brentwood League first division in Essex), give them the right coaching, nutrition, physio and facilities and turn them into a successful team. Coached by the likes of Terry Venables, Ray Wilkins and Ray Clemence the Ivory team have already had an impressive start to their league campaign, and the perennial strugglers currently lie top of the table.

This Sunday the Ivory lads get their biggest test though, when they face off against a team of England Legends!

Boasting over two hundred caps between them, the ex-pros will not want to be beaten by a ‘pub-side’ and will be going all out to ensure they don’t get egg on their faces.

Amongst the England legends will be ex-Saints legend Mark Wright, and GWC.com are proud to be his official backer for the match!

The no-nonsense but stylish defender made two hundred and twenty two appearances for Saints between April 1982 and May 1987 having signed from Oxford United and was part of the great Saints team that finished league runners up in the 1983/84 season. Lawrie McMenemy succesfully predicted at the time that he had just signed a future England player and got he his first cap within two years.

Fresh Face Saint Mark Wright - pic from exsaints.co.uk

Wright would have been a shoe in for the 1986 World Cup squad but unfortunately broke his leg in Saints FA Cup Semi final against Liverpool. Having left Saints for Derby County, he did however make the 1990 squad, scoring his only international goal, a crucial winner against Egypt in the group stages.

Wright went on to play for Liverpool and gain forty five caps for his country before moving into management with Southport, Oxford United, Peterborough and Chester City.

As Wrights official backers, Nivea For Men have given the readers of this site a chance to win bundle of their products! If Wright is selected as the England legends Man of the Match on Sunday, anyone who has retweeted this article, or commented on it below could be picked at random to win the prize!

Let’s hope we see some of Mark’s old school, classy defending and he catches the judges eye!

Now that the Ivory FC players are well into the swing of their professional regime of training, nutrition and tactics, it was time for them to learn what is really important in football.

The Goal Celebration.

You may remember Icelandic team Stjarnan FC gaining worldwide fame last year when a youtube clip of their fishing celebration went viral, so who better than to give the Ivory boys a lesson than the Stjarnan players themselves.

Great Football Experiment expert Terry Venables was invited along, but celebrations aren’t his thing “As much as I’d love to have given the Ivory Boys my advice, after the trouble Gazza got me into in ’96 with his infamous dentist chair goal celebration, I felt it best to stay well clear.”

Here is how the Ivory players got on:-

You might have thought that the Stjarnan FC player had rested on their laurels after their success last year, but now elaborate goal celebrations have become their calling card, here are some of their more recent designs:-

The Nivea for Men Great Football Experiment aims to prove that with the right coaching, nutrition, physio and facilities you can turn an average Sunday league team into a winning machine. Venables, Ray Wilkins, Ray Clemence and other FA coaches are overseeing Ivory FC as they assault the Brentwood Sunday League First division in Essex.

Recently I was invited amongst other bloggers to attend a training day with Ray Wilkins courtesy of Nivea for Men and the Great Football Experiment.

Unfortunately I couldn’t make it, but England and Chelsea legend, and brother of Saints coach Dean had a message for the readers of this site.

Ray, former England and Liverpool keeper Ray Clemence, Ex-England manager Terry Venables and other professional FA coaches have spent the summer with Brentwood Sunday League First Division side Ivory FC from Billericay in Essex. The experiment aims to see if, with access to the right coaching, nutritional and fitness advice, an average Sunday league team can be turned into table toppers.

Catch up with the latest episode of the Nivea for Men Great Football Experiment where Ivory FC take on potential title challengers Lawns Park Rangers in the opening game of the league season.

Will star striker “Goggles” make it before kick off?

Follow the Great Football Experiment, and see how much proper coaching and professional expertise really helps…

Nivea for Men have set out to find whether or not with England level coaching, physiotherapy and nutrition advice you can take an underperforming Sunday League team and turn their fortunes around.

Over six hundred amateur teams entered for the chance to have their whole regime changed by some seasoned professionals.

The winners were Ivory FC from Billericay in Essex, formed as recently as 2007, they finished 6th of the ten teams in the Brentwood Sunday League First Division last season, winning seven of their eighteen games.

So can the professionals turn them into title challengers?

A team from the FA led by former England player and manager Terry Venables have been working closely with the Ivory FC players over the summer as they prepare them for the coming season. Eighty Four capped Ray Wilkins and Sixty One capped Ray Clemence assisted by experienced FA coaches Rob Pithers and Nick Emery are getting the lads into shape, while they also have access to proper physiotherapy facilities and nutritional advice.

They may have lost 4-0 to a side made up of celebrities recently but the team have already shown vast improvements, and they will be hoping to put on a good show when they take on a team of ex-England stars at the end of the month.

I will be tracking the progress of the side here, so we can see how much of a difference professional expertise can really make…